The current trend in the building industry encourages owners and design professionals to develop sustainable designs. The market has consequently created a need for building materials and systems compatible with the definition of “green” or sustainable construction. Green materials are considered having attributes such as recyclable, renewable, low-embodied energy, locally available, and high thermal mass. Buildings designed using materials with such “virtues” can result in gaining points in LEED rating system. As a result, building material manufacturers have in general been drawn into a new competition to claim some of this new market share.
Another factor that adds significance to the general trend for sustainable design is energy conservation through the building envelope. Of the total U.S. annual energy consumption, approximately 20% is used on cooling, heating, and lighting buildings. A considerable amount of this energy is lost through the building envelope. For this reason, the thermal mass property has been identified as one factor that can significantly influence energy conservation in buildings. A wall with high thermal mass can store large amounts of radiated solar energy during the day and slowly release it to the interior during the night. This process can regulate the indoor temperature fluctuations by delaying and slowing down the heat flow through the wall, thus reducing the need for heating and cooling loads. Construction materials such as masonry and concrete have this desirable thermal mass property, while wood and steel do not. For this reason, today, the use of masonry and concrete is highly promoted by these industries as sustainable materials.
While the current state of the art provides high thermal mass building materials, this property increases the weight and thickness of the exterior walls. These negative features limit the height of the structure and reduce the available floor space. A larger foundation is also required to support the higher weight of the walls. Further, masonry and concrete materials may absorb water, providing a fertile ground for mold growth or wearing away the integrity of the support.
What is needed is an efficient and effective method and apparatus for providing a structurally sound, energy savings wall for residential construction.
Therefore, it is a primary purpose of the present invention to improve over the state of the art.
It is a primary purpose of the present invention to utilize sustainable construction materials such as rolled steel or aluminum in a manner so as to provide a structure having high thermal efficiency.
It is a further purpose of the present invention to reduce the mass and footprint of the structural support while promoting high thermal efficiency.
It is a further purpose of the present invention to utilize transparent building materials so as to provide natural lighting for the interior of the structure.
It is a further purpose of the present invention to incorporate photovoltaic coating into the building materials in order to provide a sustainable source of electric power.
These and/or other objects, features, or advantages of the present invention will become apparent. No single embodiment of the present invention need achieve all or any particular number of the foregoing objects, features, or advantages.